Bosung High School Coach Habitually Assaulted with Hockey Stick and Accepted Money from Parents

Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Announces Special Audit Results
Repeated Physical and Verbal Abuse... Threats Like "You Can't Go to University"
Collected 60.5 Million Won from Parents
Request to Dismiss Coach and Police Investigation Requested

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] It has been confirmed that a coach of the ice hockey team at Boseong High School in Songpa-gu, Seoul, assaulted players with hockey sticks and accepted bribes worth about 60 million won from parents, resulting in his dismissal.

On the 16th, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education conducted a special audit last month regarding the coach's habitual assault, verbal abuse, and acceptance of bribes. The assault video reported in the media was not a staged act but an actual incident, and it was confirmed that the coach habitually verbally abused and assaulted student players.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education demanded severe disciplinary action and dismissal of the coach from the school and requested the police to investigate the habitual assault and bribery. They also requested an investigation into parents suspected of providing money under the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act.

The coach reportedly used abusive language and physical violence with hockey sticks and hands against students over several years at training sites such as ice rinks and training camps. He struck students’ buttocks and heads with hockey sticks, slapped their faces with his hands, and kicked them while threatening, saying, "You won’t get into college."

He is also accused of soliciting money from parents under the pretext of selecting players for the U-18 youth national team and borrowing cash from some parents. Evidence also revealed that he accepted bribes worth approximately 60.5 million won over two years from 2018.

The school’s inadequate response was also problematic. Serious flaws were revealed, such as taking testimonies from many students in a confined space without separating perpetrators and victims or conducting insufficient investigations.

Despite having video evidence reporting the assault, the school dismissed it as a "staged act" based on student statements and closed the case without holding a School Violence Countermeasure Committee meeting. Although the perpetrator’s wrongdoing was clear, no disciplinary action was taken, and training expenses and logs were not properly managed. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education requested a mild disciplinary action of reprimand for the principal and vice principal of Boseong High School.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education plans to request the relevant department to improve the system for managing sports team coaches and operating school sports teams in light of this incident. Jeon Yong-gi, a member of the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, stated, "We will continue to cooperate with the Office of Education to protect the human rights of student athletes."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.